New Starter Bike/Dropping It

[MAKER]

i know! i wish i was ready to buy right now. i have to get a few things in order first. i do like those spirit 750's, but the handle bars are too straight for me. i guess i could swap them out?

[bok]

they are actually a decent fit with the semi forward controls. there is a slight bend to the stock bars so they aren't completely straight at least. but i guess that's the way the spirits are...more of that street cruiser type of look.

[Bachstrad37]

Engine types really make a difference on how heavy the bike feels. Cruisers with typical V-Twin designs are bottom heavy, which makes them much easier to balance. I drive a 600+ lbs. V-Twin cruiser (first bike too) and I only weigh in at 170 lbs and 5'9".

Inline 4s are top heavy. They're a bit trickier to balance. So, my advice is to look at engine type and also seat height. You're a pretty tall guy, so it's not that much of an issue. But yes, having the ability to flat foot a bike gives you tons of leverage. Esp. when you're stopped at a sloped stoplight/stop sign.

[ElektraSpitfire]

i've abused my ninja 250 a lot...i'm only 5'5'' and it's really hard for me to balance the bike esp when i can't flatfoot it or am trying to manuever with it walking it around or whatever...i've dropped it a lot of times not really from stupid things like not putting the kickstand down or anything, but just from being purely not strong/tall enough to hold it up even when i know it's falling... i think with your height you will be much better off than i am.. i know if i were in dieziege's situations as he described in his posts the bike would have gone down..

[Social Distortion]

i know! i wish i was ready to buy right now. i have to get a few things in order first. i do like those spirit 750's, but the handle bars are too straight for me. i guess i could swap them out?

I wanted ( and still do) a 650 V Star classic. Retail in Chicago for just under 5K. Ended up buying an 85 Honda Nighthawk 650 for $750 off of craigslist. Yeah, it needs some work, but i dont think its anything that my Clymers manual cant show me. For now, ( 2 weeks) i am pleased. I think i can put atleast a season into the nighthawk and then make a choice over the winter or next spring- I will also say that being new, i had a lot more confidnece riding the used older bike. Maybe its just the fact that i wasnt worried about every little scratch and nick.
good luck

[Sabredude]

I bought a 04 Vstar 650 a couple of years ago with only 1600 miles on it. It was originally bought for my son who learned to ride on a Yahama 250. He wanted to move up a notch or two. So that's what got me back into riding. The 650 was a great bike for me, but after riding about year, it just seem to not have enough ump to it. So I bought Honda Sabre. Don't get me wrong I like the Vstar, and still own it for my son to ride. It's just that I'm a big fella also and of course as my skills returned from riding years ago, I felt the need for a bit more bike. I guess the benefit to me from all these bike purchases is my son has his bike and doesn't bug me to ride mine.

New -vs- Used: I say carefully purchase a used bike, not from the dealer. They are such a rip off. The 250 I bought for my son had so many charges added to the final price it wasn't funny. ($600 shipping, $300 to prep the bike, plus tax) Outrageous!! A used purchase doesn't require any of the listed fees other that the taxes. My last two bike were purchased used. They both had extended warranties that were transferred to me. There are a lot of good deals on used bikes that were bought and the owner lost interest. Take your time and enjoy your search.

Yep stats say we'll drop it within the the first six months, usually!! Don't worry about it you'll find that if you ride a lot, eventually we all lay one every once in a while. The key is not being reckless when you lay it down and get injured seriously. .

[avoidalliteration]

I'm more for the "used bike is cheaper" argument. My used bike came in nearly pristine condition so I will still cry when I drop it

The difference between my used one and a new one was nearly $1500, so that made my decision for me.